Intermodal shipping container box

ABSTRACT

An intermodal shipping container box assembly having front cube, rear cube and middle sections with the front cube and rear cube of variable lengths to provide a container box up to sixty and a half feet in length. The front and rear cubes have modified stacking post and casting block arrangements. The front cube and rear cube may include additional cross bracing. The front cube and middle section include a modified tunnel section for accommodating a vehicle chassis.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/014,447, filed Jun. 19, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container box for use in thetransportation of freight through multiple modes of transportation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Current freight transportation by sea, rail, or road often occursthrough the use of container boxes which are designed for use inmultiple modes of transportation, i.e. intermodal transportation, andfor use in various countries. The majority of shipping container boxesare twenty or forty foot container boxes built to standards defined bythe International Standards Organization (ISO). In North America,fifty-three foot container boxes built according to ISO or Associationof American Railroads (AAR) standards are also common. In use, containerboxes may be lifted, stacked for storage or transportation by sea orrail, and mounted to a vehicle chassis or rail car for transportation byroad or rail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a container box with anincreased volume which may be used with existing vehicle chassis, liftequipment, rail cars and other container boxes. In one embodiment, afront cube section is provided with additional length, an improvedstacking post and casting block arrangement, and an improved tunnelsection for accommodating a vehicle chassis. In one embodiment, a rearcube section is provided with additional length and an improved stackingpost and casting block arrangement. In a further embodiment, bycombining the front and rear cube sections, with a middle section, acontainer box of varying and additional length is provided. A 60.5 footcontainer box may be provided by combining the front and rear cubesections, with a middle section approximately 39 to 40 feet in length.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a container assembly,having a pair of top rails; a pair of bottom rails; a pair of frontcorner posts, each front corner post being coupled to a first end of oneof the pair of top rails and a first end of one of the pair bottomrails; a pair of rear corner posts, each rear corner post being coupledto a second end of one of the pair of top rails and a second end of oneof the pair bottom rails; a top front header coupled transversely to thepair of top rails and a front sill coupled transversely to the pair ofbottom rails, adjacent the front corner posts; and a rear header coupledtransversely to the pair of top rails and a rear sill coupledtransversely to the pair of bottom rails, adjacent the rear cornerposts. The front corner posts, top rails, bottom rails, top frontheader, front sill, rear header, rear sill, and rear corner posts definea generally rectangular container frame. The front corner posts, the topfront header, the front sill and adjacent portions of the top rails andbottom rails define a front cube and the rear corner posts, the rearheader, the rear sill and adjacent portions of the top rails and bottomrails define a rear cube. The remaining portions of the top rails andbottom rails define a middle section between the front cube and the rearcube. The assembly includes a pair of front stacking posts disposedbetween the front cube and the middle section and extending betweenrespective top and bottom rails; and a pair of rear stacking postsdisposed between the rear cube and the middle section and extendingbetween respective top and bottom rails. The middle section may have alength in the range of 39 to 40 feet; the front cube may have a lengthin the range of 9 to 10.5 feet; and the rear cube may have a length inthe range of 9 to 10.5 feet. The assembly includes a first pair ofcross-brace members, each extending diagonally from one of the frontcorner posts adjacent the top rail to one of the front stacking postsadjacent the bottom rail; a second pair of cross-brace members eachextending diagonally from one of the front corner posts adjacent thebottom rail to one of the front stacking posts adjacent the top rail; athird pair of cross-brace members, each extending diagonally from one ofthe rear corner posts adjacent the top rail to one of the rear stackingposts adjacent the bottom rail; and a fourth pair of cross-bracemembers, each extending diagonally from one of the rear corner postsadjacent the bottom rail to one of the rear stacking posts adjacent thetop rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric top view of a container box according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an isometric bottom view of a container box according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an isometric cut away view of a container box according to anembodiment of the present disclosure with the roof and side wallsremoved;

FIG. 4 is a curbside side view of a container box according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a roadside side view of a container box according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a container box according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a container box according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a container box according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of a container box according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 10A is a close-up isometric view of circled portion A from FIG. 3and FIG. 10B is a close-up bottom view of portion A;

FIG. 11A is a close-up isometric side view of circled portion B fromFIG. 3 and FIG. 11B is a close-up isometric top view of portion B;

FIG. 12 is close-up side view of the container box and circled portion Cfrom FIG. 3; and

FIG. 13 is an isometric cut away view of a container box according to afurther embodiment of the present disclosure.

Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like elementsand features.

While the invention will be described in conjunction with theillustrated embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intendedto limit the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, it isintended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as maybe included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a container box having anincreased length and volume for carrying freight for intermodaltransportation. The container box is comprised of modified front andrear cube sections which may be assembled with a middle section tocreate a container box up to 50.5 feet in length.

FIGS. 1 to 9 illustrate embodiments of container box assembly 10including a front cube 15, a rear cube 20 and a middle section 25. Insome embodiments the container box assembly 10 is approximately 60.5feet long with a middle section 25 approximately 39 to 40 feet inlength, and typically 39 feet, 4 inches; a front cube 15 up toapproximately 9 to 10.5 feet in length; and a rear cube 20 up toapproximately 9 to 10.5 feet in length. In this embodiment, the 60.5foot container box assembly 10 provides an increase in volume ofapproximately 15% over current 53 foot container box assemblies. It willbe appreciated that different lengths of container boxes, from 58 feetup to 60.5 feet, may be achieved by varying the length of the front cube15 and rear cube 20 disclosed herein while maintaining the length of themiddle section 25.

When assembled, the container box assembly 10 typically comprises a base30, a curbside sidewall 32 a, a roadside sidewall 32 b, a roof 34, afront wall 36 and rear doors 38. The walls 32 a, 32 b, base 30 and roof34 extend from the front of the container box and the front cube 15 tothe rear of the container box at the end of the rear cube 20. Except asnoted herein, the container walls 32 a, 32 b, base 30 and roof 34generally may be constructed according to known implementations such asfor a steel container box assembly comprised primarily of corrugatedsheet steel or an aluminum container box assembly comprised primarily ofsheet aluminum. It will be appreciated that other materials may be usedfor construction of the container box assembly.

Other implementations for the container box assembly 10, including butnot limited to an insulated or refrigerated container box, also may beprovided. In these embodiments, the length of the front cube 15 may beshortened to provide space for a heating unit or a refrigeration unitand frame in order to provide a container box assembly 10 having anoverall length of up to 60.5 feet. In other embodiments, such units maybe placed within the front cube 15 of the container box assembly 10.

FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cutaway view of FIG. 3 illustrate the constructionof the front cube 15 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The front cube 15 includes two front corner posts 40 and twostacking posts 42 as well as top rails 44 and bottom rails 46. Eachfront corner post 40 is coupled to one end of the top rail 44 and oneend of the bottom rail 46. Upper and lower members or beams couple thetop rails 44 and bottom rails 46. Specifically, near the front cornerposts 40, a top front header 41 extends transversely between the pair oftop rails 44 and a front sill 43 extends transversely between the pairof bottom rails 46 to define a square frame. The length of the frontcube 15 is extended by up to 9 to 10.5 feet by increasing the length ofthe top rails 44 and bottom rails 46 and by increasing the number ofside posts 48 and roof bows 50. In one embodiment, the density of sideposts 48 and roof bows 50 is increased in the front cube 15 as can beseen from FIGS. 1-3. In one embodiment, the front cube 15 includes toprails 44 and bottom rails 46 having a height increased by about twoinches, to a height of approximately 6 inches. In one embodiment, thethickness of the top rails 44 may be increased from 0.135″ toapproximately 0.25″. Different configurations of the top rails 44 andbottom rails 46 are provided to increase the strength of the lengthenedfront cube 15. The top rails 44 and bottom rails 46 may be comprised ofsteel, such as high strength low alloy steel of 50,000 psi to 60,000 psiminimum yield strength.

In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the front cornerposts 40 may be tapered and flat, or rounded to provide a swingclearance of 2.0 metres or less when the container box assembly 10 ismounted to a vehicle chassis (not shown).

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the front section of thecontainer box assembly 10, including the front cube 15 and an adjacentportion of the middle section 25, includes a modified tunnel section 52to accommodate an extendible pull out section on a gooseneck chassis.Specifically, the tunnel section may be constructed as a 170 inchsection with a depth of either 3¼″ (shallow tunnel) or 4¾″ (deep tunnel)to allow for optimal inside height of the container box.,

FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cutaway view of FIG. 3 also illustrate theconstruction of the rear cube 20. The r cube 20 includes two rear cornerposts 60 and two stacking posts 62 as well s top rails 64 and bottomrails 66. Each rear corner post 60 is coupled to one end of the top rail64 and one end of the bottom rail 66. Upper and lower members or beamscouple the top rails 44 and bottom rails 46. Specifically, near the rearcorner posts 60, a rear header 61 extends transversely between the pairof top rails 64 and a rear sill 63 extends transversely between the pairof bottom rails 66 to define a square frame. The length of the rear cube20 is extended by up to 9 to 10.5 feet by increasing the length of thetop rails 64 and bottom rails 66 and by increasing the number of sideposts 48 and roof bows 50. In one embodiment, the density of side posts48 and roof bows 50 is increased in the rear cube 20 as can be seen fromFIGS. 1-3. In one embodiment, the rear cube 20 includes top rails 64 andbottom rails 66 having a height increased by about two inches. In oneembodiment, the thickness of the top rails 64 may be increased from0.135″ to approximately 0.25″. Different configurations of the top rails64 and bottom rails 66 of the rear cube 20 are provided to increase thestrength of the lengthened rear cube 20. The top rails 64 and bottomrails 66 may be comprised of steel, such as high strength low alloysteel of 50,000 psi to 60,000 psi minimum yield strength.

Except as noted herein, the middle section 25 generally may beconstructed according to known implementations such as for a steelcontainer box assembly comprised primarily of corrugated sheet steel oran aluminum container box assembly comprised primarily of sheetaluminum. The middle section 25 comprises a pair of top rails 67 whichsupport a plurality of roof bows 50 and the roof 34 and a pair of bottomrails 68 which support the base 30. One top rail 67 and one bottom rail68 are illustrated in FIG. 3. A plurality of side posts 48 extendvertically between the top rails 67 and bottom rails 68 for supportingthe side walls 32 a, 32 b. In one embodiment, the top rail 44 of thefront cube, the top rail 67 of the middle section 25, and the top rail64 of the rear cube comprise separate rails coupled together at thestacking posts 42, 62; and the bottom rail 46 of the front cube, thebottom rail 68 of the middle section 25, and the bottom rail 66 of therear cube 20 comprise separate rails coupled together at the stackingposts 42, 62. In one embodiment, the top and bottom rails 44, 64, 46, 66in the respective front cube 15 and rear cube 20 comprise steel and thetop and bottom rails 67, 68 in the middle section 25 comprise aluminum.

Casting blocks 70 are provided at the bottom of each stacking post 42,52 for securing the respective front cube 15 and rear cube 20 and thecontainer box assembly 10 to a container chassis, container ship, railcar or other container box (not shown). Casting blocks 70 also may beprovided at the top of each stacking post 42, 62 for securing thecontainer box assembly 10 to other container boxes placed on top of thecontainer box 10, or to a railcar or container ship. It will beappreciated that additional casting blocks 70 may be positioned in thecontainer box assembly 10, such as by providing casting blocks 70 at thefront corner posts 40 and rear corner posts 60 as described above.Alternatively or additionally, four casting blocks 70 may be provided onthe top and/or bottom of the container box assembly 10 according to ISOor ARR dimensions and positions for securing the container box assembly10 to other containers. Thus, existing container box assemblies, orcontainer box assemblies according to the present disclosure, may beplaced on top of and secured to the container box assembly. Castingblocks 70 also may be used with existing equipment for lifting thecontainer box.

Additional casting blocks 70 may be provided, for example, at the bottomof each front corner post 40 and at the bottom of each rear corner post60 for securing the container box assembly 10 to a vehicle chassis. Asshown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the casting blocks 70 at the front cornerpost 40 may be inset from the side of the container box assembly 10 inorder to achieve the swing clearance noted above.

In one embodiment, when assembled, the container box 10 includes atleast four casting blocks 70 in the roof 34 at the top of each stackingpost 42, 52 and the base 30 includes at least four casting blocks 70 atthe bottom of each stacking post 42, 62. With a container box assembly10 having a middle section 25 approximately 39-40 feet in length, thecasting block positions are configured to match current ISO 40-footstacking posts positions. In this embodiment, the approximately 60.5foot container box assembly 10 may be used with and stacked on top ofexisting container boxes, such as a 40 foot container box, or a 53 footcontainer box provided with stacking posts at the standard 40 footpositions. In use, for example when the container box assembly 10 isstacked on top of a 40 foot single pack railcar, or on top of amultipack 53 foot railcar, the 60.5 foot container box assembly 10closes the gap or spacing which exists between railcars, therebydecreasing the drag on the train and improving fuel efficiency.

With casting blocks 70 provided in the front corner posts 40 and rearcorner posts 60 of the container box assembly 10, the assembly may besecured on a container chassis, such as through the use of a combinationof twist locks or pin locks. Other embodiments may allow for thesecurement on the chassis through the casting blocks 70 located at thestacking posts 42, 62 or at other intermediate locations as noted above.

In one embodiment, the front cube 15 and the stacking posts 42 includemodified and additional parts to enable the front cube 15 to be extendedwhile allowing the container box assembly 10 to be mounted to othercontainer boxes, chassis etc., at various positions. Similarly, the rearcube 20 and stacking posts 62 may include modified and additional partsto enable the rear cube 20 to be extended while allowing the containerbox assembly 10 to be mounted to other container boxes, chassis etc. atvarious positions.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B with respect to the front cubesection 15, a roof impact plate 80 may be provided which is increased inlength and extends across the width of a front roof header assembly 82.In one embodiment, the roof impact plate 80 is trapezoidal in shape andwelded to the top rail 44, to the roof header assembly 82 and to thecasting block 70. In some embodiments, the casting block 70 is welded tothe top of the stacking post 42. The roof header assembly 82 is firstwelded around the casting block 70 and then the roof impact plate 80 iswelded to the roof header assembly 82 and to the casting block 70. Theroof impact plate 80 defines a notched portion to accommodate thecasting block 70. Similar roof impact plates 80 may be provided at eachstacking post 42, 62 in the front and rear cube sections as seen inFIGS. 1, 3 and 6, with a rear roof header assembly being disposedbetween the rear cube 20 and the middle section 25.

An additional plate or inner corner gusset 86 is added in one embodimentin a plane parallel to and below the roof impact plate 80 and the roofheader assembly 82. The inner corner gusset 86 may be a triangular or5-sided shape as shown and extend from a first edge of the roof headerassembly 82 along the top rail 44 into the front cube section to thefirst roof bow designated as roof bow 50 a in FIG. 11B. The inner cornergusset 86 may be welded to the first edge of the roof header assembly 82and to the top rail 44, it may extend out to provide a support to fastenthe closest roof bow 50 a. While shown in detail with respect to thefront cube section of FIG. 3, a similar inner corner gusset 86 may beprovided in the stacking posts 62 of the rear cube 20. The inner coinergusset 86 in the rear cube 20 extends from an edge of the roof headerassembly 82 adjacent the rear cube 20, along the top rail 64 into therear cube section 20 to the first roof bow 50.

In some embodiments, a modified upper corner post gusset 88 is providedon each stacking post 42, 62 along a plane parallel to the side wall 32of the container box assembly 10. A close-up illustration of themodified upper corner post gusset 88 for the rear cube 20 is provided inFIG. 12. The upper corner post gusset 88 may comprise first and secondsteel plates which are welded to respective bottom edges of the top rail44 and to the sides of the stacking post 62. In one embodiment, thefirst steel plate extends into the rear cube 20 up to approximately 25inches or more towards a second adjacent side post 48 a in the rear cube20, as shown in FIG. 12. In one embodiment, the second steel plateextends up to approximately 15 inches into the middle section 25 of thecontainer box to a first adjacent side post 48 b in the middle section25.

In one embodiment, the roof impact plate 80, the inner corner gusset 86and the upper corner post gusset 88 comprise steel plates welded to theother components of the front cube 15, rear cube 20 and middle sections25 as noted above. In other embodiments, the roof impact plate 80, theinner corner gusset 86 and the upper corner post gusset 88 compriseplates which are riveted and/or monobolted through with the plate andstacking post and the plate and upper rail connections.

In a further embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13, cross-bracing 90 may beprovided along each of the side walls 32 a, 32 b to increase therigidity of each of the front cube 15 and rear cube 20. Thecross-bracing 90 may comprise ⅛″ to ¼″ thick flatbar with a width of 2″to 4″ wide depending on the rigidity required. In some embodiments, thecross-bracing 90 may comprise high strength, low alloy steel. Thecross-bracing 90 may be mounted between the lower front corner adjacentthe front corner post 40 to the top corner of the adjacent stacking post42 along the sidewall 32 a and from the top or upper front corneradjacent the front corner post 40 to the bottom corner of the stackingpost 42 along the sidewall 32 a as shown. Similar cross-bracing 90 maybe provided between the front corner post 40 and the adjacent stackingpost 42 along the sidewall 32 b, as shown in FIG. 13. Similarcross-bracings 90 also may be provided along the sidewalls 32 a, 32 bbetween the rear corner posts 60 and the stacking posts 62 between therear cube 20 and middle section 25, as shown. In one embodiment (notshown), the cross-bracing 90 may comprises separate segments fastened orwelded between adjacent side posts 48 at angles extending between thestacking posts 42, 62 and adjacent front corner posts 40 or rear cornerposts 60.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with theembodiments of the present disclosure a container box assembly and frontand rear cube sections for a container box assembly which provide anincreased volume for intermodal freight transportation and which fullysatisfy the objects, aims and advantages set forth above. While theinvention has been described in conjunction with illustrated embodimentsthereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of theforegoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all suchalternatives modifications and variations as fall within the spirit andbroad scope of the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. A container assembly, comprising: a pair of toprails; a pair of bottom rails; a pair of front corner posts, each frontcorner post being coupled to a first end of one of the pair of top railsand a first end of one of the pair bottom rails; a pair of rear cornerposts each rear corner post being coupled to a second end of one of thepair of top rails and a second end of one of the pair bottom rails; atop front header coupled transversely to the pair of top rails and afront sill coupled transversely to the pair of bottom rails, adjacentthe front corner posts; a rear header coupled transversely to the pairof top rails and a rear sill coupled transversely to the pair of bottomrails, adjacent the rear corner posts; the front corner posts, toprails, bottom rails, top front header, front sill, rear header, rearsill, and rear corner posts defining a generally rectangular containerframe; the front corner posts, the top front header, the front sill andadjacent portions of the top rails and bottom rails defining a frontcube; the rear corner posts, the rear header, the rear sill and adjacentportions of the top rails and bottom rails defining a rear cube; theremaining portions of the top rails and bottom rails defining a middlesection between the front cube and the rear cube; a pair of frontstacking posts disposed between the front cube and the middle sectionand extending between respective top and bottom rails; a pair of rearstacking posts disposed between the rear cube and the middle section andextending between respective top and bottom rails; the middle sectionhaving a length in the range of 39 to 40 feet; the front cube having alength in the range of 9 to 10.5 feet; the rear cube having a length inthe range of 9 to 10.5 feet; a first pair of cross-brace members, eachextending diagonally from one of the front corner posts adjacent the toprail to one of the front stacking posts adjacent the bottom rail; asecond pair of cross-brace members each extending diagonally from one ofthe front corner posts adjacent the bottom rail to one of the frontstacking posts adjacent the top rail; a third pair of cross-bracemembers, each extending diagonally from one of the rear corner postsadjacent the top rail to one of the rear stacking posts adjacent thebottom rail; and a fourth pair of cross-brace members, each extendingdiagonally from one of the rear corner posts adjacent the bottom rail toone of the rear stacking posts adjacent the top rail.
 2. The containerassembly of claim 1 wherein the top and bottom rails in the front cubehave a thickness of approximately 0.25 inches and a height 2 inchesgreater than the height of the top and bottom rails in the middlesection.
 3. The container assembly of claim 1 wherein the top and bottomrails in the rear cube have a thickness of approximately 0.25 inches anda height 2 inches greater than the height of the top and bottom rails inthe middle section.
 4. The container assembly of claim 1 wherein outeredges of each of the front corner posts are tapered or rounded.
 5. Thecontainer assembly of claim 4 wherein each of the front corner postscomprises a casting block adjacent the bottom rail, the casting blockbeing inset from an outer edge of the bottom rail.
 6. The containerassembly of claim I wherein each of the front stacking posts and rearstacking posts comprises a casting block adjacent the bottom rail. 7.The container assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the front stackingposts and rear stacking posts comprises a casting block adjacent the toprail.
 8. The container assembly of claim 7 further comprising: a frontroof header assembly extending between the top rails and disposedbetween the front cube and the riddle suction, and two front roof impactplates extending in a plane parallel to and above the front roof headerassembly, each front roof impact plate extending along a length adjacentone of the top rails and greater than a width of the front roof headerassembly, and each roof impact plate extending inwardly across a portionthe front roof header assembly towards the other top rail.
 9. Thecontainer assembly of claim 8 wherein each front roof impact plate istrapezoidal in shape with a longer base edge adjacent the top rail andwherein each front roof impact plate comprises a notched portion shapedto accommodate the casting block of the front stacking post.
 10. Thecontainer assembly of claim further comprising two front inner cornergusset plates disposed below and parallel to respective front roofimpact plates and the front roof header assembly, each front innercorner gusset plate extending along the top rail from a first edge ofthe front roof header assembly adjacent the front cube to a first roofbow adjacent the front roof header assembly.
 11. The container assemblyof claim 8 further comprising first and second pairs of post gussetplates, each pair being adjacent one of the front stacking posts,wherein each post gusset plate in a pair extends along a length of thetop rail and vertically downward along opposite sides of the frontstacking post, each post gusset plate in the pair being in a planeparallel to the front stacking post.
 12. The container assembly of claim7 further comprising: a rear roof header assembly extending between thetop rails and disposed between the rear cube and the middle section, andtwo rear roof impact plates extending m a plane parallel to and abovethe rear roof header assembly, each rear roof impact plate extendingalong a length adjacent one of the top rails and greater than a width ofthe rear roof header assembly, and each rear roof impact plate extendinginwardly across a portion the rear roof header assembly to cards theother top rail.
 13. The container assembly of claim 12 wherein each earroof impact plate is trapezoidal in shape with a longer base edgeadjacent the top rail and wherein each rear roof impact plate comprisesa notched portion shaped to accommodate the casting block of the rearstacking post.
 14. The container assembly of claim 12 further comprisingtwo rear inner corner gusset plates disposed below and parallel torespective rear roof impact plates and the rear roof header assembly,each rear inner corner gusset plate extending along the top rail from afirst edge of the rear roof header assembly adjacent the rear cube to afirst roof bow adjacent the rear roof header assembly.
 15. The containerassembly of claim 12 further comprising third and fourth pairs of postgusset plates, each pair being adjacent one of the rear stacking posts,wherein each post gusset plate in a pair extends along a length of thetop rail and vertically downward along opposite sides of the rearstacking post, each post gusset plate in the pair being in a planeparallel to the rear stacking post.
 16. The container assembly of claim1 wherein the total length of the front cube, middle section and rearcube is 60.5 feet.
 17. The container assembly of claim 1 wherein eachcross-brace member comprises a bar having a thickness of ⅛ to ¼ inchesand a width of 2 to 4 inches.
 18. The container assembly of claim 1further comprising a plurality of roof bows extending transverselybetween each of the pair of top rails for supporting a roof, wherein thedensity of roof bows in the front cube and rear cube is greater than thedensity of roof bows in the middle section.
 19. The container assemblyof claim 1 further comprising two pluralities of side posts, eachplurality extending vertically between one of the top rails and one ofthe bottom rails, the side posts having a density in the front cube andrear cube greater than the density of side posts in the middle section.20. The container assembly of claim 1 wherein a base of the front cubeand a base of a portion of the middle section define an extended tunnelsection for receiving an extendible pull out section of a chassis.